March 20, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to reclassify the green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and list turtles originating from two breeding populations currently considered endangered as threatened due to improvements in their populations.
After a review of the global status of green sea turtles, the agencies are proposing to reclassify the species into 11 Distinct Population Segments (DPS) under the ESA, which maintains federal protections while providing a more tailored approach for managers to address specific threats facing different populations.
Years of coordinated conservation efforts have resulted in increasing numbers of turtles nesting in Florida and along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As a result, the agencies are proposing threatened rather than endangered status for the two DPS that encompass those breeding populations.
Read the complete press release and the proposed rule as filed in the Federal Register.
The 90-day comment period closes on June 22, 2015. Comments may be submitted online through the Federal Rulemaking Portal (beginning on 3/23) or by regular mail to:
Office of Protected Resources
NOAA Fisheries
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
We are hosting an informational webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 4 pm EDT for the general public. Please note that we will not be accepting comments during the webinar; it is for informational purposes only. This is not a media event. Sign up for the Webinar.
Questions? Contact Kate Brogan, NOAA Fisheries at 301-427-8030 or 202-603-9651 (cell), or Brian Hires, US Fish & Wildlife Service, 703-358-219